Compensation assembly and hot water storage tank

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a compensation assembly for use in a hot water device and an associated hot water device. The hot water device includes a water tank for holding water to be heated, and the compensation assembly includes a compensation vessel and a ventilation component that allows air to be exchanged between the compensation vessel and the atmosphere. The ventilation component includes a blocking element designed to prevent water from leaking from the compensation vessel via the ventilation component.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a U.S. National Phase of PCT Application No.PCT/EP2021/079974 filed Oct. 28, 2021, which claims priority to GermanPatent Application No. 102020134298.5 filed Dec. 18, 2020, thedisclosure of which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by referenceherein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a compensation assembly and anassociated hot water storage tank.

BACKGROUND

EP 2 827 077 discloses a water tank for receiving water to be heated anda non-elastic compensation vessel for receiving a water quantity whichis present in a fitting connected to the drain when water from the tapis stopped, and for receiving a water quantity corresponding to anexpansion quantity during heating of the cold water in the water tank.The compensation vessel is hermetically sealed with respect to theoutside environment of the hot water storage tank and is in fluidcommunication with a feed-side water jet pump in such a way that thewater jet pump allows generating negative pressure within thecompensation vessel.

In practical use, however, such hermetic compensation vessels have beenfound to have various drawbacks; for example, it is difficult to emptythe compensation vessel in a safe and reliable manner.

Against this background, the present disclosure describes an improvedcompensation assembly and an associated hot water storage tank.

SUMMARY

According to one embodiment, a a hot water storage tank for domestic useor the like has a water tank for holding water to be heated and acompensation assembly, wherein the compensation assembly comprises acompensation vessel and a ventilation component, wherein the ventilationcomponent allows air to be exchanged between the compensation vessel andthe atmosphere. The ventilation component includes a blocking element,in particular a swell plate and/or a ball valve, which blocking elementis designed to prevent water from leaking from the compensation vesselvia the ventilation component.

The ventilation component or ventilation assembly allows a reliableprevention of harmful negative pressure being generated within thecompensation vessel.

In case of error, that is, when water leaks from the hot water storagetank via the ventilation component, the blocking element can block theleaking of water. While this will interfere with the drip protectionfunctionality, for example, the dripping from the fitting will be anindicator for the user signaling that the hot water storage tank doesnot work properly. In this way, the user will be able to readilyidentify the error case.

In one or more embodiments, the ventilation component has a sealing unitdesigned as a valve, and when the compensation vessel is full, anopening between the ventilation component and the compensation vesselwill be sealed by the sealing unit, which includes a ball, for example,floating onto a sealing element so that overflowing of the compensationvessel is prevented.

Here, the blocking element will not close the compensation vessel everytime it is full, which is not desired in the first place. Instead, theblocking element, for example the swell plate, will only block water ifleaking occurs even though the sealing unit is present.

Both the sealing unit designed as a valve and a different blockingelement are suitable for preventing the leaking of water from thecompensation vessel by themselves. The combination of both measures,e.g., the sealing unit and the swell plate, constitutes one embodiment,which prevents the leaking of water even when the sealing unit fails.

The sealing unit may have a ball and a vertical guide for guiding theball onto the sealing element and/or away from it.

The ball has a lower density than water in order to float on the water.The density of the ball may be reduced low by being hollow, for example.

The compensation vessel may comprises a lower compensation vesselhalf-shell and an upper compensation vessel half-shell, wherein thelower compensation vessel half-shell has a coupling portion for couplingto the water tank of the hot water storage tank and the uppercompensation vessel half-shell is designed for coupling to a cold waterfeed line.

The compensation assembly is designed for direct attachment to the watertank or the storage tank by functional integration of the couplingportion into the lower compensation vessel half-shell. In this way, anadditional coupling member is omitted, making it possible to reduce thenumber of parts. This means that, in the most basic configuration, thecompensation assembly is formed as two vessel half-shells, which arepreferably manufactured by injection molding.

In one or more embodiments, a receiving portion for an emptyingcomponent, e.g., a nozzle of a water jet pump, is integrated into thelower and/or the upper compensation vessel half-shells, with the nozzlebeing formed between the connected compensation vessel half-shells.

The emptying component makes it possible that, by means of the water jetof the water flowing into the hot water storage tank, a negativepressure is generated within the compensation vessel, which then leadsto the content of the compensation vessel being emptied into the hotwater storage tank.

The upper compensation vessel half-shell and the lower compensationvessel half-shell may each have a circumferential friction-welded edgefor making a vibration-friction-welded connection between the uppercompensation vessel half-shell and the lower compensation vesselhalf-shell.

With an alternative configuration of the connection of the compensationvessel half-shells, the invention still allows further simplificationand a reduction in the number of parts by the functional integration ofthe receiving portion for the emptying component into the compensationvessel.

The compensation assembly may further include an emptying component,which emptying component includes a nozzle of a water jet pump, e.g., aventuri nozzle, for sucking compensation water from the compensationvessel.

The nozzle may have a parabolically tapered cross-sectional contour.This cross-sectional contour creates a linearly decreasingcross-sectional area. In this way, the increase in the flow rate withinthe venturi nozzle is obtained with a low pressure loss.

The nozzle may include a material different from the material of thecompensation vessel, and may be brass and/or bronze.

Brass and bronze exhibit an advantageous resistivity against cavitation.

Alternatively, the nozzle may be designed to be integrated into thecompensation vessel as one piece, in particular the upper compensationvessel half-shell or the lower compensation vessel half-shell. In otherwords, the nozzle is then molded onto the respective vessel half-shell.

The compensation vessel, in particular the upper compensation vesselhalf-shell and the lower compensation vessel half-shell, is formed aseasily demoldable plastic parts. Here, easily demoldable is to beunderstood as having as low a number of undercuts and as low acomplexity of parts as possible.

In one or more embodiments, an opening between the emptying componentand the compensation vessel is sealed by a sealing unit, such as a balloverlying a sealing element, when the compensation vessel is empty, sothat a negative pressure within the compensation vessel is prevented.

In addition to the negative pressure, an introduction of air into thestorage tank from the compensation vessel is avoided as well.

The sealing unit may have a ball and a vertical guide for guiding theball onto the sealing element and/or away from it.

The opening between the emptying component and the compensation vesselas well as the opening between the ventilation component, i.e., thecompensation vessel, and the atmosphere are sealed by sealing unitshaving identical parts. In this way, a reduction in the use of differentparts may be achieved.

In a further aspect, a hot water storage tank, such as for domestic use,may include a storage tank, a cold water feed for connecting to a watersupply network, a hot water drain to provide hot water for a fittingconnectible thereto, and a compensation assembly according to theinvention.

The hot water storage tank according to the invention may be combinedwith any designs of the compensation assembly described as preferreddesigns to obtain the same advantages.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows, schematically and exemplarily, a hot water storage tank,

FIG. 2 shows, schematically and exemplarily, the hot water storage tankwithout a housing for illustrative purposes,

FIG. 3 shows, schematically and exemplarily, the hot water storage tankof FIG. 2 in cross-section,

FIG. 4 shows, schematically and exemplarily, a detailed view of the hotwater storage tank,

FIG. 5 shows, schematically and exemplarily, a sectional view of the hotwater storage tank,

FIG. 6 shows, schematically and exemplarily, a sectional view of the hotwater storage tank,

FIG. 7 shows, schematically and exemplarily, a sectional view of the hotwater storage tank,

FIG. 8 shows, schematically and exemplarily, a sectional view of the hotwater storage tank,

FIG. 9 shows, schematically and exemplarily, an exploded view of the hotwater storage tank,

FIG. 10 shows, schematically and exemplarily, an exploded view of thehot water storage tank,

FIG. 11 shows, schematically and exemplarily, a sectional view of thehot water storage tank,

FIG. 12 shows, schematically and exemplarily, a sectional view of thehot water storage tank, and

FIG. 13 shows, schematically and exemplarily, a sectional view of thehot water storage tank.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a hot water storage tank 1 in a perspective view. Theactual storage tank is arranged inside a housing composed of two housinghalf-shells 2, 3 and enclosed by a heat insulation. In the storage tankthere is potable water, which is usually heated to a desired temperatureby means of an electric heater in order to be provided as hot water at atapping location.

On the front side, a control element 4 is arranged, which is used toadjust the temperature of the water in the storage tank, for example.

On its top side, the hot water storage tank 1 has a cold waterconnection 6 and a hot water connection 8. Via the cold water connection6, cold water is fed into the storage tank, and via the hot waterconnection 8, the heated water reaches the tapping location.

The hot water storage tank 1 is usually operated in an unpressurizedmanner, that is, inside the storage tank there is merely atmosphericpressure, but no typical line pressure of a water conduit. Thus, tappingis initiated by opening a valve or the like in the pipe sectionconnected to the cold water connection 6. Due to an overpressure whichwill then occur at the cold water connection 6, the incoming cold waterwill push the heated water out of the hot water connection 8.

Furthermore, a ventilation assembly 80 is arranged on the top side. Theventilation assembly 80 is in fluid communication with a compensationassembly 70, which will be described in detail with reference to thefigures below. By means of the ventilation assembly 80, no permanentnegative pressure, which might lead to damage on or destruction of thehot water storage tank 1, will be generated within the storage tank, inparticular within a compensation vessel connected thereto. Moreover, theventilation assembly 80 is configured to prevent liquid, i.e., water,from leaking from the inside of the storage tank, as will also bedescribed in detail below.

FIG. 2 shows, schematically and exemplarily, the hot water storage tank1 without the insulation and the housing half-shells 2, 3 (cf. FIG. 1 ).On a top side of the actual storage tank 10 the compensation assembly 70can be seen. It comprises, in particular, a compensation vessel composedof an upper compensation vessel half-shell 72 and a lower compensationvessel half-shell 74.

The two half-shells of the compensation vessel are connected to oneanother by vibration friction welding or other means. For this purpose,the upper compensation vessel half-shell 72 and the lower compensationvessel half-shell 74 have circumferential friction-welded edges 73, 75.The friction-welded edges 73, 75 are configured for access by a suitablemachine. Vibration friction welding provides a particularly low-cost andreliable, permanent connection between the two half-shells. Other waysof connecting two half-shells are possible as well.

FIG. 3 shows, schematically and exemplarily, the hot water storage tank1 of FIGS. 1 and 2 in cross-section so that a heater 12 arranged insidethe storage tank 10 as well as a temperature sensor 16 can be seen.

The heater 12 designed as an electric heater having multiple windingsshould be regarded as an example only; other variations for heating thewater inside the storage tank 10 are conceivable as well. The heater 12is electrically connected to a power supply at connections 13 and 14,which are formed on the outside of the storage tank on the top side.

Likewise, the temperature sensor 16, which is exemplarily configured asan integral temperature sensor, is connected to control electronics viaa connection 17.

For simplicity, the control electronics is not illustrated in any of thefigures, with the configuration required for control and/or regulationof a hot water storage tank 1 being known to those skilled in the art.

It can be seen that a cold water pipe 20 in fluid communication with thecold water inlet 6 has its opening 22 in the lower region of the storagetank 10. Thus, when tapping is performed at a fitting (not shown), coldwater flows into the storage tank 10 at the bottom, is heated by theheater 12 and leaves the storage tank 10 via an opening 32 of the hotwater pipe 30, which is arranged in the upper region of the storage tank10.

FIG. 4 shows, schematically and exemplarily, the compensation assembly70 of FIG. 3 in an enlarged view. The cold water feed 6 and theventilation assembly are connected to the compensation assembly 70 whilethe hot water pipe 30 bypasses the compensation assembly 70 in a recessto reach the hot water connection 8. This prevents the occurrence of anundesired heat transfer from the hot water pipe 30 to the inside of thecompensation vessel.

A connecting portion 76 of the lower compensation vessel half-shell 74can also be seen. This connecting portion 76, which may be formedintegrally with the lower compensation vessel half-shell 74, is designedto connect to a corresponding connecting portion 18 (cf. FIG. 12 ) ofthe storage tank 10. The connecting portion 18 serves to attach the coldwater pipe 20 inside the storage tank.

In FIGS. 5 to 7 below, sections along the planes A-A (FIG. 5 ), B-B(FIG. 6 ) and C-C (FIG. 7 ) are shown to allow identification of theinner components of the compensation assembly 70.

For covering the top side of the housing of the hot water storage tank,cover flaps 42, 44, 46 are provided. Furthermore, for attachment andsealing, multiple clamps 48 a-48 d and seals 50 a-50 i are provided. Theseals may be O-rings.

Various pipe sections 62, 30 and 82 have raised edges 63, 33, 83 and 84to ensure a secure attachment of the further components in thelongitudinal direction of the pipe sections 62, 30 and 82.

A sieve 64 is arranged in the cold water connection 6 so that nocontaminants present in the water such as chunks of limescale can getinto the storage tank 10.

The cold water connection 6 is coupled to the pipe section 62 via acoupling 66. Before flowing into the storage tank 10 via the cold waterpiper 20, the cold water passes through an emptying component 90designed to suck out the content of the compensation vessel in case ofcompensation water being contained therein.

A venturi nozzle 92 is provided for this purpose, creating across-sectional taper in order to increase the flow rate. The venturinozzle 92 may be made of a metallic material, e.g., copper, and clampedinto a dedicated receiving portion 76 between the upper compensationvessel half-shell 72 and the lower compensation vessel half-shell 74. Inthis way, the particularly favorable configuration of the compensationvessel allows the functional integration of the emptying component.

While the venturi nozzle 92 is formed as a separate part made of metalin this design, the cross-sectional taper may also be integrateddirectly into the compensation vessel half-shell, in particular theupper compensation vessel half-shell 72, without making demoldingdifficult by undercuts or the like.

After the venturi nozzle 92, the cross-section increases again beforethe entry of water into the storage tank 10.

The venturi nozzle 92 makes sure that when water flows in, water presentin the compensation vessel is drained via an opening 100, which can bestbe seen in FIG. 7 .

The opening 100 connects the venturi nozzle 92 to a sealing portion 98,which has a ball 96 overlying it in sealing fashion when all of thewater has been drained from the compensation vessel. The ball 96 has alow density so that it floats on inflowing water and does not overliethe sealing portion 98 anymore. Due to this, the water may be drainedfrom the compensation vessel by means of the venturi nozzle 92 again.Using a guide element 94, which is open towards the compensation vessel,the movement of the ball 96 is restricted to substantially the verticaldirection.

An arrangement similar to the emptying component 90 can be seen in theregion of the ventilation assembly 80. Here as well, a ball 86 is guidedalong a guide element 95 in the vertical direction. In accordance with awater level in the compensation vessel. Upon reaching a certain level,the ball 86 creates a seal against a sealing portion 88 so no water canleave the hot water storage tank 1 via the ventilation opening. Mostpreferably, identical components are used for all of the emptyingcomponent 90 and the ventilation component and/or the ventilationassembly 80. This reduces the total number of different parts.

FIG. 8 shows a further section in plane A-A without the hot water pipe30 and other pipes shown for illustrative purposes. In this section, thefeatures 78 for introducing and fixing the clamps can be seen at theupper end of the upper compensation vessel half-shell 72.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show exploded views of the compensation assembly 70, withFIG. 10 including a cross-section along plane A-A as well.

In addition to section B-B shown in FIG. 6 , a further section madebetween section A-A and section B-B is illustrated in FIG. 11 . Here,the opening 100 between the sealing portion 98 and the venturi nozzle 92can be seen.

FIG. 12 shows a perspective cross-sectional view which is similar to theview shown in FIG. 4 , but makes a section through the venturi nozzle 92further back in the reference plane.

It is further possible to see the connection between the connectingportion 76 of the lower compensation vessel half-shell 74 and thecorresponding connecting portion 18 of the storage tank 10 as well asthe connection between the hot water pipe 30 and a correspondingconnecting portion 19 on the storage tank 10, which also forms the hotwater outlet 32.

In addition, this view shows a ventilation cap 81, which forms part ofthe ventilation assembly 80 and is configured to ensure a closing of theventilation opening in case of water leaks. For this purpose, theventilation cap 81 may preferably include at least one swell plate. Uponcontact with water, the at least one swell plate swells to such anextent that the ventilation opening is reliably closed.

Here, a user will detect malfunction of the hot water storage tanks 1due to dripping of the fitting, for example, as no expansion water andno dripping water present in the fitting can be received by thecompensation vessel when the swell plate closes the ventilation opening.

FIG. 13 shows, schematically and exemplarily, a detailed view of theupper part of the storage tank as well as of the compensation assembly70 in the sectional view of FIG. 12 .

LIST OF REFERENCES

-   -   1 hot water storage tank    -   2, 3 housing half-shell    -   4 control element    -   6 cold water connection    -   8 hot water connection    -   10 storage tank    -   12 heater    -   13, 14 heater connection    -   16 temperature sensor    -   17 temperature sensor connection    -   18, 19 connecting portion    -   20 cold water pipe    -   22 opening of cold water pipe    -   30 hot water pipe    -   32 opening of hot water pipe    -   33 raised edge    -   42, 44, 46 cover cap    -   48 a,b,c,d clamp    -   50 a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i seal    -   62 pipe section    -   63 raised edge    -   64 sieve    -   66 coupling    -   70 compensation assembly    -   72 upper compensation vessel half-shell    -   73 circumferential friction-welded edge    -   74 lower compensation vessel half-shell    -   75 circumferential friction-welded edge    -   76 receiving portion    -   78 features    -   80 ventilation assembly    -   81 ventilation cap    -   82 pipe section    -   83 raised edge    -   84 raised edge    -   85 guide element    -   86 ball    -   88 sealing portion    -   90 emptying component    -   92 venturi nozzle    -   94 guide element    -   96 ball    -   98 sealing portion    -   100 opening

1. A compensation assembly for use in a hot water device having a watertank for holding water to be heated, the compensation assemblycomprising: a compensation vessel; and a ventilation component, whereinthe ventilation component allows air to be exchanged between thecompensation vessel and the atmosphere, the ventilation componentincluding a blocking element, said blocking element being configured toprevent water from leaking from the compensation vessel via theventilation component.
 2. The compensation assembly according to claim1, wherein the ventilation component has a sealing unit including asealing element and a floatable ball that is movable between a firstposition in which the ball is seated on the sealing element and a secondposition in which the ball is spaced from the sealing element, wherein,when the compensation vessel is full, an opening between the ventilationcomponent and the compensation vessel is sealed by the sealing unit sothat overflowing of the compensation vessel is prevented.
 3. Thecompensation assembly according to claim 2, wherein the sealing unitfurther has a vertical guide for guiding the ball onto the sealingelement and/or away from it.
 4. The compensation assembly according toclaim 1, wherein the compensation vessel comprises a lower compensationvessel half-shell and an upper compensation vessel half-shell, whereinthe lower compensation vessel half-shell has a coupling portion forcoupling to the water tank of the hot water storage tank and the uppercompensation vessel half-shell is designed for coupling to a cold waterfeed line.
 5. The compensation assembly according to claim 4, wherein areceiving portion for an emptying component is integrated into the lowerand/or the upper compensation vessel half-shells and formed between theconnected compensation vessel half-shells.
 6. The compensation assemblyaccording to claim 4, wherein the upper compensation vessel half-shelland the lower compensation vessel half-shell each have a circumferentialfriction-welded edge for making a vibration-friction-welded connectionbetween the upper compensation vessel half-shell and the lowercompensation vessel half-shell.
 7. The compensation assembly accordingto claim 1, further comprising an emptying component including a nozzleof a water jet pump configured to drain compensation water from thecompensation vessel.
 8. The compensation assembly according to claim 7,wherein the nozzle is a venturi nozzle having a parabolically taperedcross-sectional contour.
 9. The compensation assembly according to claim7, wherein a material of the nozzle is different from a material of thecompensation vessel.
 10. The compensation assembly according to claim 7,wherein the compensation vessel comprises a lower compensation vesselhalf-shell and an upper compensation vessel half-shell and the venturinozzle is designed to be integrated into the upper compensation vesselhalf-shell or the lower compensation vessel half-shell as one piece. 11.The compensation assembly according to claim 1, wherein the compensationvessel is formed of demoldable plastic parts.
 12. The compensationassembly according to claim 1, wherein the compensation vessel comprisesa lower compensation vessel half-shell and an upper compensation vesselhalf-shell and the ventilation component is arranged at the uppercompensation vessel half-shell.
 13. (canceled)
 14. The compensationassembly according to claim 1, wherein the ventilation component has asealing unit configured to seal an opening between the ventilationcomponent and the compensation vessel when the compensation vessel isfull.
 15. The compensation assembly according to claim 14, wherein thesealing unit includes a ball having a density that is less than water.16. The compensation assembly according to claim 7, wherein the nozzleis formed of brass or bronze.
 17. The compensation assembly according toclaim 7, wherein the nozzle has a parabolically tapered cross-sectionalcontour.
 18. A hot water tank comprising: a storage tank; a cold waterfeed connectable to a water supply network; a hot water drain configuredto provide hot water to a fitting connectable thereto; and acompensation assembly including: a compensation vessel, and aventilation component, wherein the ventilation component allows air tobe exchanged between the compensation vessel and the atmosphere, theventilation component including a blocking element configured to preventwater from leaking from the compensation vessel via the ventilationcomponent.
 19. The hot water tank according to claim 18, wherein theventilation component has a sealing unit including a sealing element anda floatable ball that is movable between a first position in which theball is seated on the sealing element and a second position in which theball is spaced from the sealing element, wherein, when the compensationvessel is full, an opening between the ventilation component and thecompensation vessel is sealed by the sealing unit so that overflowing ofthe compensation vessel is prevented.
 20. The hot water tank accordingto claim 18 further comprising an emptying component including a venturinozzle configured to drain compensation water from the compensationvessel to the storage tank.